OK it’s official, the weather this summer is not nice. Most Alaskans came to this conclusion early on, but I was holding out for the “big turnaround”. Well, I give up. Even if I wake up tomorrow and there is not another cloud in the sky until September …. I think it’s too late. The Summer of 2010 will always be remembered as a wet one. I launched three times today and was rejected an equal number. There are certain things that simply cannot be accomplished when there is fog obscuring the mountain sides.
My final attempt at making this a productive day began at 6:30 PM this evening. This morning was foggy, but a southerly breeze had picked up and dried the air out significantly. I hurriedly made arrangements and we launched. The ceiling was at 8000′ and visibility was nearly 100 miles. It was going to be about a 3 hour job and we would be working near the house. As we began to work the conditions were a little bumpy but totally reasonable for working. Within 10 minutes of our start-time, rain showers and reduced visibility were already becoming an issue. We continued to fly but things were deteriorating quickly. I was hopeful that it was just a squall passing through, but my “hoping” did not change the reality that the weather was changing FAST. Visibility went down to 2 miles so we straight lined for the house. We landed in a torrential downpour with our tail tucked between our legs. From beginning to end I think it was a 45 minute flight, and the difference in weather from take off to landing was incredible. It was one of those nights where the weather was forming out of thin air in a matter of minutes. Usually I can see the weather coming, but tonight it just appeared. I love Alaska, you never know what its going to dish out.